Handwriting in Spelling You See

Can I Use Spelling You See as a Handwriting Program?

Spelling You See is not designed to teach actual letter formation—the “how to” of handwriting. There are many other programs on the market specifically for this purpose. Spelling You See is an application of handwriting—a situation in which students use the “tool” of handwriting to accomplish the task of learning how to spell.

Should I Be Concerned About Careful Handwriting?

Dr. Holinga, the author of Spelling You See, says that the neatness of the copywork is not an important concern. She has often referred to it as “sloppy copy.” 

The purpose of copywork is to help us commit to long-term memory the common spelling patterns we encounter. You want your student to be able to write comfortably and focus on the spelling of the words, not on the correct formation of the letters.

My Student Wants To Do Their Copywork in Cursive. Is That Okay?

As beautiful and beneficial as cursive is, especially for dyslexic children (because the flow of cursive writing keeps them from flipping letters), it does not have a place in Spelling You See. Copywork and dictation activities should be printed in order to develop visual memory. When students read, everything they see is print, so they should use printing while learning to spell.

My Student Hates Writing—What Should I Do?

The neurological act of using a pencil on paper and the resistance that the pencil offers the writer—neurologically different from a smooth glide of a ballpoint pen—helps to organize the brain. It opens those pathways in a way other educational endeavors do not. 

If you have a child who is truly resistant to writing, keep in mind that ten minutes of copywork will accomplish the goal of the exercise. Begin with only five minutes, with the goal of working towards ten minutes.

If My Student Is Struggling To Write on the Two Solid Lines in the Student Workbook, Can I Print Out a Blank Sheet With Three Lines Instead?

Spelling You See uses two solid lines to help reduce visual noise for the student. For copywork activities, students should be using the pages provided in the Student Workbook, so they are visually imprinting the word pattern into memory. For dictation activities, if the student is more comfortable using three-lined paper, they can do that. In both activities, the focus should be on the correct spelling of the word and not on neat handwriting.

Related Articles & Blog Posts

The Value of Dictation in Spelling You See
Five Core Activities of Spelling You See
Parent Involvement in Spelling You See
Addressing Errors in Spelling You See

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